Writing
Select tarot spreads, publications, interviews, white papers and class handouts.
Writing and Other Media
These are some of my tarot spreads, publications, interviews, white papers and class handouts. Click on the title to read the article or listen to the interview. Please also check out my blog, Completely Joyous!
Created 2009; posted July 31, 2015
The Hopscotch Spread is a fun, qabalistically based tarot spread that can provide insight and guidance in working towards a particular goal.
May 30, 2014
These tables show timing associations for all cards in the tarot deck.
October 15, 2012
This kabbalistically based spread lets you explore how you reflect the process of Binah in your work—how thoroughly you can manifest the energies that stimulate you, or it lets you pinpoint where you might lose the thrust of the work and produce only a part of what you want to achieve.
September 29, 2012
This Empyrean Key spread series captures the energy of the Full Moon in Aries conjunct Uranus to reveal the part of the Self that is ready for transformation, the reflection of its highest ideal, and the revolution necessary to transform from one into the other.
July 17, 2012
Please enjoy this Empyrean Key spread series to ignite your personal expression of the Uranus-Pluto Square.
Created June 16, 2011; Posted May 14, 2012
I developed this spread for my Magician’s Tools class last year. It is based on the four stages of analytical psychology according to Jung. I think it’s helpful for finding out where we are in our own personal analysis so that we can facilitate our own healing. It’s also a good opportunity for self-reflection prior to working with clients.
Created July 10, 2011; Posted May 1, 2012
This is a spread I developed for the Denver Tarot Geeks last year. It plays off the early tarot and pre-tarot image of the capriciousness of Lady Fortune, the cycling of fate indicated in the series of words concerning the reign of the individual. We play our own game of tarot roulette by rearranging the cards and reinterpreting, and old trick that gives a fresh perspective.
April 19, 2012
This handy-dandy chart, the new-and-improved version of a previous handout I compiled about six years ago, makes it easy to find the tarot card that is associated with a particular time frame (a decan, or ten degrees of an astrological sign). In this new and improved version, I have sorted the information two different ways, so you can easily look up the dates and then find the associated card or alternately look up a card, and then find what decan it is.
March 21, 2012
This twenty-page e-book has three tarot spreads that use the Empyrean Key method to help you understand and harness the energies of the current Grand Trine in Earth.
Created May 9, 2010; Posted June 2, 2011
I was looking through my blog posts folder on my computer and just found this as an unfinished item. I read through it and it looks finished to me! I contemplate the idea of healing the past as a balance point to creating the future, discuss the symbolism of the Temperance card, and provide three variations on a simple 3-card spread. I hope you like it!
Revised April 2, 2011
The Empyrean Key method integrates the intuitive communication of the tarot with the astrological blueprint of your life purpose to create personalized spiritual practices aimed at evolutionary transformation. The process has been called “almost indescribable in its effectiveness for soul-exploration.” The Simple Astrology Spread and Directions guide you through a hands-on exercise for applying tarot to your sun sign to discover your unique symbol that can be used to unlock the highest levels of your soul purpose. This is the simplest version of the Empyrean Key class that I teach and can be done by anyone who has use of a deck of tarot cards. No tarot or astrological knowledge is necessary–all the info you need is in this document.
Revised February 24, 2011
This is the first chapter of my years-in-the-making-but-as-yet-unfinished book on beginning tarot. Brand-new tarot readers often have lots of questions. Should I store my bag in a silk pouch? Is it wrong to let other people touch my deck? Is it ok to buy a used tarot deck? Find out the answers to these and other pressing questions here!
Presented February 17, 2011 for the Introduction to Metaphysics Meetup Group
These are the handouts for my presentation on telling stories with the pictures on the tarot cards. It includes the exercises I shared with the group and three of my favorite simple spreads that I’ve gathered from various sources.
Aired January 24, 2011 on Walk In Cafe on Blog Talk Radio
Starr from Walk In Cafe interviewed me on symbolic correspondence systems and how they apply to tarot, astrology and kabbalah.
Published Mar 5, 2007 on The Llewellyn Journal
This is one of my favorite spreads and rituals. I developed it in 2006 to share with the Denver Tarot Meetup, and have since presented it there in 2008 and 2011. The article discusses what it means to clear and charge a deck, then provides the instructions for the reading and ritual. By basing the charging ceremony on a tarot reading, you get a completely personalized method for working with a new deck.
Created 2006; posted March 20, 2015
The Revolutionary Wheel spread utilizes the symbolism of TARO and YHVH in the layout and interpretation of the cards. The YHVH spirals inward to self-reflection and the TARO spirals outward as you share with others. The world of thought is born into the world of the senses, and in turn the achievement of the world of the senses becomes a new idea to be pursued, understood, and in turn, told.
Also consult the Revolutionary Wheel Article, “We Will Become the Story That We Tell.”
Published Winter 2006 in the American Tarot Association Quarterly
I wrote this when I first began studying kabbalah. The article discusses some of the basic kabbalistic correspondences used in the tarot, and it includes a spread I developed that has a very nice movement and flow to it, based on the Wheel of Fortune card.
Here’s the Revolutionary Wheel Tarot Spread.
Aired Oct 22, 2006 on Today’s Tarot Podcast #14
This is the podcast Scott Womack created from my two-part presentation for the Denver Tarot Meetup on the suits and their elemental correspondences.
Sadly, the actual content appears to have gone the way of old internet ghosts. So the link only takes you to the cover page. Lesson learned — if you’re ever on a podcast, obtain your own copy of the content!
Newest Posts from Completely Joyous
The Great Granddaddy of Tarot Spreads
A Sample Reading with the Great Granddaddy of Tarot Spreads Years ago I came across Mary K. Greer’s wonderful article, “The Oldest Spread, by le Comte de M***.” She offered a fascinating peek into the first recorded tarot spread. All this week I searched in vain for something to write about that fit Tarot Blog Hop wrangler Raine Shakti‘s theme “ancestors.” Until I remembered Mary’s post! I decided that performing a sample reading with this great granddaddy of tarot spreads would honor our tarot roots. At the same time, it would remind tarot readers of a practical technique from history.
Q&A with Joy: Rephrasing Questions on Health and Other People
The Tarot Taboos: Reading on Health and Other People Reading on health and other people are two very common questions. And every reader’s Statement of Ethics says they will not read on these topics. But reading for clients includes looking at all of life’s challenges, which, without a doubt, include health and other people. If only we could separate our health from our daily experience! Or live according to our own principles without crossing paths with others! Oh, wait, that would be a miserable and lonely life. Tarot readings and astrology readings have to address the messy, complicated, tangle of
Q&A with Joy: How Many Decks Should I Take On Vacation?
Be Sure to Leave Room in Your Luggage for Tarot Decks! “How many decks should I take with me?” A year or two ago, I was reading for a client who was preparing for a retreat that would last several months. At the end of the reading, she asked this question. On the one hand, tarot decks are compact and easily fit into luggage, tote bags, a briefcase, or your purse. On the other hand, they are dense for their small size and too many can weigh you down. I can’t tell you what decks to bring. But if you
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- The Tarot Dance: Love Tarot SpreadThe Tarot Dance: Love Tarot Spread and Downloadable PDF Who’s in charge here? Sometimes it’s hard to tell! Relationships can be like dancing. Only one person can lead at a time. Use this spread to examine when to lead, when to follow, and what rhythm you’re dancing at. For thisContinue… Read more »